American Guitar is an album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

ist Pat Donohue

Pat Donohue

Patrick Donohue is an American fingerstyle guitarist born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a Grammy nominated, National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion and a songwriter. Donohue has several albums to his credit and his songs have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss, and Kenny Rogers...

, released in 2000.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, critic Mark Vanderhoff wrote of the album "... a collection of his own compositions and American standards, played in his signature rootsy, jaw-dropping style. While Donohue's own pieces showcase his mastery of fingerpicked acoustic guitar... From start to finish, American Guitar offers top-notch performances that are impressive without being cerebral or sterile. Indeed, a sense of playfulness and fun are present throughout. What really sets Donohue apart from the pack is that he somehow conveys that he's enjoying himself as much as the listener."

Track listing

All songs by Pat Donohue unless otherwise noted.

1. "Novocaine" – 2:08
2. "Welcome Home" – 3:03
3. "Mudslide" – 3:04
4. "Arkansas Traveler
   The Arkansas Traveler (song)
   "The Arkansas Traveler" was the state song of Arkansas from 1949 to 1963; it has been the state historical song since 1987. The music was composed in the 19th century by Colonel Sanford C...
   
   " (Traditional) – 2:45
5. "Blue Tango
   Blue Tango
   "Blue Tango" is an instrumental composition by Leroy Anderson. it was later turned into a popular song with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was published in 1952...
   
   " (Leroy Anderson
   Leroy Anderson
   Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...
   
   , Mitchell Parish
   Mitchell Parish
   Mitchell Parish was an American lyricist.-Early life:Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old...
   
   ) – 3:28
6. "Maple Leaf Rag
   Maple Leaf Rag
   The "Maple Leaf Rag" is an early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, and is one of the most famous of all ragtime pieces, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. As a result Joplin was called the "King...
   
   " (Scott Joplin
   Scott Joplin
   Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
   
   ) – 3:06
7. "Fall Creek" – 1:57
8. "Freight Train
   Freight Train (song)
   Freight Train is a song on the 1989 album by Nitro, O.F.R.. In the video for Freight Train, Michael Angelo Batio uses the one-of-a-kind quad guitar, which is a guitar with 4 necks. The top two necks have 7 strings and the bottom 2 have 6 strings. Unfortunately, that guitar was stolen after the...
   
   " (Elizabeth Cotten
   Elizabeth Cotten
   Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten was an American blues and folk musician, singer, and songwriter.A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Cotten developed her own original style. Her approach involved using a right-handed guitar , not re-strung for left-handed playing, essentially, holding a right-handed...
   
   ) – 1:49
9. "Into the Garden" – 2:40
10. "Rush Hour" – 2:18
11. "All Thumbs" – 2:29
12. "Hard Times (Come Again No More)" (Stephen Foster
    Stephen Foster
    Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
    
    ) – 2:13
13. "Joe Fingers" – 2:52
14. "Millwood" – 2:08
15. "Tears" (Frank Capano) – 2:42
16. "The Star-Spangled Banner
    The Star-Spangled Banner
    "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
    
    " (Francis Scott Key
    Francis Scott Key
    Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
    
    , John Stafford Smith
    John Stafford Smith
    John Stafford Smith was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach....
    
    ) – 1:42

Production notes

• Sam Hudson – engineer
• Brian Forrester – mastering, engineer
• Mary Ellen LaMotte – photography
• Dean Olson – design